List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian Bach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lists of
Compositions by
Johann Sebastian Bach
  • v
  • t

This article lists the fugal works of Johann Sebastian Bach, defined here as the fugues, fughettas, and canons, as well as other works containing fugal expositions but not denoted as fugues, such as some choral sections of the Mass in B minor, the St Matthew Passion, the St John Passion, and the cantatas.

This sub-list of the complete list of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach is intended to facilitate the study of Bach's counterpoint techniques. Each work cited in this list will be annotated with the fugal subject(s) and any countersubjects in musical notation.

Organ fugues[]

  • BWV 531 – Prelude and Fugue in C major
  • BWV 532 – Prelude and Fugue in D major
  • BWV 532a – Fugue in D major (alternative version of BWV 532)
  • BWV 533 – Prelude and Fugue in E minor
  • BWV 534 – Prelude and Fugue in F minor
  • BWV 535 – Prelude and Fugue in G minor
  • BWV 535a – Prelude and Fugue in G minor (alternative, simplified version of BWV 535)
  • BWV 536 – Prelude and Fugue in A major
  • BWV 536a – Prelude and Fugue in A major (alternative version of BWV 536 based on the original manuscript)
  • BWV 537 – Fantasia (Prelude) and Fugue in C minor
  • BWV 538 – Toccata and Fugue in D minor ("Dorian")
  • BWV 539 – Prelude and Fugue in D minor
  • BWV 539a – Fugue in D minor (see BWV 1000 for the lute arrangement, movement 2 of BWV 1001 for the violin arrangement)
  • BWV 540 – Toccata and Fugue in F major
  • BWV 541 – Prelude and Fugue in G major
  • BWV 542 – Fantasia and Fugue "Grand" in G minor
  • BWV 542a – Fugue in G minor (alternative version of the fugue from BWV 542)
  • BWV 543 – Prelude and Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 544 – Prelude and Fugue in B minor
  • BWV 545 – Prelude and Fugue in C major
  • BWV 545a – Prelude and Fugue in C major (alternative version of BWV 545)
  • BWV 545b – Prelude, Trio and Fugue in B-flat major (alternative version of BWV 545)[1]
  • BWV 546 – Prelude and Fugue in C minor
  • BWV 547 – Prelude and Fugue in C major "9/8"
  • BWV 548 – Prelude and Fugue in E minor "Wedge"
  • BWV 549 – Prelude and Fugue in C minor
  • BWV 550 – Prelude and Fugue in G major
  • BWV 551 – Prelude and Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 552 – Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major "St. Anne" (published in Clavier-Übung III)
  • Eight Short Preludes and Fugues (553–560)
    • BWV 553 – Short Prelude and Fugue in C major (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 554 – Short Prelude and Fugue in D minor (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 555 – Short Prelude and Fugue in E minor (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 556 – Short Prelude and Fugue in F major (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 557 – Short Prelude and Fugue in G major (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 558 – Short Prelude and Fugue in G minor (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 559 – Short Prelude and Fugue in A minor (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
    • BWV 560 – Short Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major (spurious, possibly by Johann Tobias Krebs)
  • BWV 561 – Fantasia and Fugue in A minor (spurious)
  • BWV 562 – Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (fugue unfinished)
  • BWV 563 – Fantasia with imitation in B minor (spurious)
  • BWV 564 – Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major
  • BWV 565 – Toccata and Fugue in D minor
  • BWV 566 – Toccata and Fugue in E major
  • BWV 566a – Toccata in E major (earlier version of BWV 566)
  • BWV 567 – Prelude in C major
  • BWV 568 – Prelude in G major
  • BWV 569 – Prelude in A minor
  • BWV 570 – Fantasia in C major
  • BWV 571 – Fantasia (Concerto) in G major (spurious)
  • BWV 572 – Fantasia in G major
  • BWV 573 – Fantasia in C major (incomplete, from the 1722 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach)
  • BWV 574 – Fugue in C minor
  • BWV 574a – Fugue in C minor (alternative version of BWV 574)
  • BWV 575 – Fugue in C minor
  • BWV 576 – Fugue in G major
  • BWV 577 – Fugue in G major "à la Gigue" (spurious)
  • BWV 578 – Fugue in G minor "Little"
  • BWV 579 – Fugue on a theme by Arcangelo Corelli (from Op. 3, No. 4); in B Minor
  • BWV 580 – Fugue in D major (spurious)
  • BWV 581 – Fugue in G major (not by Bach, composed by Gottfried August Homilius)
  • BWV 581a – Fugue in G major (spurious)
  • BWV 582 – Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
  • BWV 1086 – Canon concordia discors
  • BWV 1087 – 14 canons on the First Eight Notes of Goldberg Variations Ground

Keyboard fugues[]

The Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 846–893)[]

  • BWV 846 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major
  • BWV 846a – Prelude and Fugue in C major (alternative version of BWV 846)
  • BWV 847 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor
  • BWV 848 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-sharp major
  • BWV 849 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp minor
  • BWV 850 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D major
  • BWV 851 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor
  • BWV 852 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E-flat major
  • BWV 853 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 8 in E-flat minor
  • BWV 854 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E major
  • BWV 855 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in E minor
  • BWV 855a – Prelude and Fugue in E minor (alternative version of BWV 855)
  • BWV 856 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F major
  • BWV 857 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F minor
  • BWV 858 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-sharp major
  • BWV 859 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F-sharp minor
  • BWV 860 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in G major
  • BWV 861 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G minor
  • BWV 862 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A-flat major
  • BWV 863 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in G-sharp minor
  • BWV 864 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 19 in A major
  • BWV 865 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A minor
  • BWV 866 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B-flat major
  • BWV 867 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B-flat minor
  • BWV 868 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 23 in B major
  • BWV 869 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B minor
  • BWV 870 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major
  • BWV 870a – Prelude and Fugue in C major (alternative version of BWV 870)
  • BWV 870b – Prelude in C major (alternative version of BWV 870)
  • BWV 871 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor
  • BWV 872 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-sharp major
  • BWV 872a – Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major (alternative version of BWV 872)
  • BWV 873 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp minor
  • BWV 874 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D major
  • BWV 875 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor
  • BWV 875a – Prelude in D minor (alternative version of BWV 875)
  • BWV 876 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E-flat major
  • BWV 877 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 8 in D-sharp minor
  • BWV 878 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E major
  • BWV 879 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in E minor
  • BWV 880 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F major
  • BWV 881 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F minor
  • BWV 882 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-sharp major
  • BWV 883 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F-sharp minor
  • BWV 884 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in G major
  • BWV 885 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G minor
  • BWV 886 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A-flat major
  • BWV 887 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in G-sharp minor
  • BWV 888 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 19 in A major
  • BWV 889 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A minor
  • BWV 890 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B-flat major
  • BWV 891 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B-flat minor
  • BWV 892 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 23 in B major
  • BWV 893 – Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B minor

Preludes and fugues, toccatas and fantasias (BWV 894–923)[]

  • BWV 894 – Prelude and Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 895 – Prelude and Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 896 – Prelude and Fugue in A major
  • BWV 897 – Prelude and Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 898 – Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major on the name B-A-C-H (doubtful)
  • BWV 899 – Prelude and Fughetta in D minor
  • BWV 900 – Prelude and Fughetta in E minor
  • BWV 901 – Prelude and Fughetta in F major
  • BWV 902 – Prelude and Fughetta in G major
  • BWV 902a – Prelude in G major (alternative version of BWV 902)
  • BWV 903 – Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor
  • BWV 903a – Chromatic Fantasia in D minor (alternative version of BWV 903)
  • BWV 904 – Fantasia and Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 905 – Fantasia and Fugue in D minor
  • BWV 906 – Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (Fugue unfinished)
  • BWV 907 – Fantasia and Fughetta in B-flat major
  • BWV 908 – Fantasia and Fughetta in D major
  • BWV 909 – Concerto and fugue in C minor
  • BWV 910 – Toccata in F-sharp minor
  • BWV 911 – Toccata in C minor
  • BWV 912 – Toccata in D major
  • BWV 913 – Toccata in D minor
  • BWV 914 – Toccata in E minor
  • BWV 915 – Toccata in G minor
  • BWV 916 – Toccata in G major

Fugues and fughettas (BWV 944–962)[]

  • BWV 944 – Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 945 – Fugue in E minor
  • BWV 946 – Fugue in C major
  • BWV 947 – Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 948 – Fugue in D minor
  • BWV 949 – Fugue in A major
  • BWV 950 – Fugue in A major on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni
  • BWV 951 – Fugue in B minor on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni
  • BWV 951a – Fugue in B minor (alternative version of BWV 951)
  • BWV 952 – Fugue in C major
  • BWV 953 – Fugue in C major
  • BWV 954 – Fugue in B-flat major on a theme by Johann Adam Reincken
  • BWV 955 – Fugue in B-flat major
  • BWV 956 – Fugue in E minor
  • BWV 957 – Fugue in G major
  • BWV 958 – Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 959 – Fugue in A minor
  • BWV 960 – Fugue in E minor
  • BWV 961 – Fughetta in C minor
  • BWV 962 – Fughetta in E minor

Lute fugues[]

Choral fugues[]

  • BWV 232 – Mass in B minor: Credo in unum deum, Confiteor unum baptisma, etc.
  • BWV 105 – Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht: 1. Chorus (begins at m.47)

Concerto movements[]

  • BWV 1047 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major: 3. Allegro assai
  • BWV 1050 – Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D Major: 3. Allegro
  • BWV 1061 – Concerto for 2 harpsichords and strings in C major: 3. Fuga

Sonata movements[]

Sonatas and partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001–1006)[]

  • BWV 1001 – Sonata No. 1 in G minor: 2. Fuga (Allegro) – Transcribed for organ as BWV 539 and for lute as BWV 1000
  • BWV 1003 – Sonata No. 2 in A minor: 2. Fuga – Transcribed for harpsichord as BWV 964
  • BWV 1005 – Sonata No. 3 in C major: 2. Fuga (Alla breve)

Sonatas for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014–1019)[]

  • BWV 1014 – Sonata No. 1 in B minor: 2. Allegro and 4. Allegro
  • BWV 1015 – Sonata No. 2 in A major: 2. Allegro assai and 4. Presto
  • BWV 1016 – Sonata No. 3 in E major: 2. Allegro and 4. Allegro
  • BWV 1017 – Sonata No. 4 in C minor: 2. Allegro and 4. Allegro
  • BWV 1018 – Sonata No. 5 in F minor: 2. Allegro and 4. Vivace
  • BWV 1019 – Sonata No. 6 in G major: 5. Allegro

Other sonatas[]

  • BWV 965 – Sonata in A minor: 2. Fugue
  • BWV 1021 – Sonata in G major: 4. Presto

Canons and fugal works in the last two chapters of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (1998)[]

Legend to the table
column content
01 BWV Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (lit. 'Bach-works-catalogue'; BWV) numbers. Anhang (Annex; Anh.) numbers are indicated as follows:
  • preceded by I: in Anh. I (lost works) of BWV1 (1950 first edition of the BWV)
  • preceded by II: in Anh. II (doubtful works) of BWV1
  • preceded by III: in Anh. III (spurious works) of BWV1
  • preceded by N: new Anh. numbers in BWV2 (1990) and/or BWV2a (1998)
02 2a Section in which the composition appears in BWV2a:
  • Chapters of the main catalogue indicated by Arabic numerals (1-13)
  • Anh. sections indicated by Roman numerals (I–III)
  • Reconstructions published in the NBE indicated by "R"
03 Date Date associated with the completion of the listed version of the composition. Exact dates (e.g. for most cantatas) usually indicate the assumed date of first (public) performance. When the date is followed by an abbreviation in brackets (e.g. JSB for Johann Sebastian Bach) it indicates the date of that person's involvement with the composition as composer, scribe or publisher.
04 Name Name of the composition: if the composition is known by a German incipit, that German name is preceded by the composition type (e.g. cantata, chorale prelude, motet, ...)
05 Key Key of the composition
06 Scoring See scoring table below for the abbreviations used in this column
07 BG Bach Gesellschaft-Ausgabe (BG edition; BGA): numbers before the colon indicate the volume in that edition. After the colon an Arabic numeral indicates the page number where the score of the composition begins, while a Roman numeral indicates a description of the composition in the Vorwort (Preface) of the volume.[2]
08 NBE New Bach Edition (German: Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA): Roman numerals for the series, followed by a slash, and the volume number in Arabic numerals. A page number, after a colon, refers to the "Score" part of the volume. Without such page number, the composition is only described in the "Critical Commentary" part of the volume. The volumes group Bach's compositions by genre:[3]
  1. Cantatas (Vol. 1–34: church cantatas grouped by occasion; Vol. 35–40: secular cantatas; Vol. 41: Varia)
  2. Masses, Passions, Oratorios (12 volumes)
  3. Motets, Chorales, Lieder (4 volumes)
  4. Organ Works (11 volumes)
  5. Keyboard and Lute Works (14 volumes)
  6. Chamber Music (5 volumes)
  7. Orchestral Works (7 volumes)
  8. Canons, Musical Offering, Art of Fugue (3 volumes)
  9. Addenda (approximately 7 volumes)
09 Additional info may include:
  • "after" – indicating a model for the composition
  • "by" – indicating the composer of the composition (if different from Johann Sebastian Bach)
  • "in" – indicating the oldest known source for the composition
  • "pasticcio" – indicating a composition with parts of different origin
  • "see" – composition renumbered in a later edition of the BWV
  • "text" – by text author, or, in source

Provenance of standard texts and tunes, such as Lutheran hymns and their chorale melodies, Latin liturgical texts (e.g. Magnificat) and common tunes (e.g. Folia), are not usually indicated in this column. For an overview of such resources used by Bach, see individual composition articles, and overviews in, e.g., Chorale cantata (Bach)#Bach's chorale cantatas, List of chorale harmonisations by Johann Sebastian Bach#Chorale harmonisations in various collections and List of organ compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach#Chorale Preludes.

10 BD Bach Digital Work page
Legend for abbreviations in "Scoring" column
Voices (see also SATB)
a A b B s S t T v V
alto (solo part) alto (choir part) bass (solo part) bass (choir part) soprano (solo part) soprano (choir part) tenor (solo part) tenor (choir part) voice (includes parts for unspecified voices or instruments as in some canons) vocal music for unspecified voice type
Winds and battery (bold = soloist)
Bas Bel Cnt Fl Hn Ob Oba Odc Tai Tbn Tdt Tmp Tr
bassoon (can be part of Bc, see below) bell(s) (musical bells) cornett, cornettino flute (traverso, flauto dolce, piccolo, flauto basso) natural horn, corno da caccia, corno da tirarsi, lituo oboe oboe d'amore oboe da caccia taille trombone tromba da tirarsi timpani tromba (natural trumpet, clarino trumpet)
Strings and keyboard (bold = soloist)
Bc Hc Kb Lu Lw Org Str Va Vc Vdg Vl Vne
basso continuo: Vdg, Hc, Vc, Bas, Org, Vne and/or Lu harpsichord keyboard (Hc, Lw, Org or clavichord) lute, theorbo Lautenwerck (lute-harpsichord) organ (/man. = manualiter, without pedals) strings: Vl I, Vl II and Va viola(s), viola d'amore, violetta violoncello, violoncello piccolo viola da gamba violin(s), violino piccolo violone, violone grosso
Background colours
Colour Meaning
green extant or clearly documented partial or complete manuscript (copy) by Bach and/or first edition under Bach's supervision
yellow extant or clearly documented manuscript (copy) or print edition, in whole or in part, by close relative, i.e. brother (J. Christoph), wife (A. M.), son (W. F. / C. P. E. / J. C. F. / J. Christian) or son-in-law (Altnickol)
orange-brown extant or clearly documented manuscript (copy) by close friend and/or pupil (Kellner, Krebs, Kirnberger, Walther, ...), or distant family member
Canons and fugal works in Chapters 12 and 13 of BWV2a
BWV 2a Date Name Key Scoring BG NBE Additional info BD
12. Canons (see also: List of canons by Johann Sebastian Bach) Up ↑
1072 12. Canon trias harmonica a 8 D maj. 8V 451: 131 VIII/l: 3, 6 [4][5] 01258
1073 12. 1713-08-02 Canon â 4. Voc: perpetuus A min. 4V 451: 132 VIII/l: 3 in US-CAh bMS Eng 870 (35b)[6][7][8][9][10] 01259
1074 12. 1727 Canon a 4 (for  [de]) A min. 4V 451: 134 VIII/l: 3 [11][12]
[4][8][13][14][15][16] 		01260
1075 12. 1734-01-10 Canon a 2. perpetuus D maj. 2V VIII/l: 3 [8] 01261
1076 12. 1746 Canon triplex a 6 G maj. 6V 451: 138 VIII/l: 3 after BWV 1087/13
[17][18][19][20]
[4][21][22][23][24][25] 		01262
1077 12. 1747-10-15 Canone doppio sopr' il soggetto (dedicated to  [de]) G maj. 4V Bc VIII/1: 4
IX/2: 81 		after BWV 1087/11[26][8][25][27] 01263
1078 12. 1749-03-01 Canon Fa Mi, et Mi Fa est Tota Musica, a.k.a. Canon super Fa Mi, a 7. post Tempus Musicum F maj. 7V Bc 451: 136 VIII/l: 4 in SBB P 611[8][28][29] 01264
1086 12. 1750? Canon Concordia discors D maj. 2V VIII/l: 4
III/1: VIII 		in SLB Dresden R 291s[4][30][31][32][33] 01272
1087 12. 1747/1748 or earlier 14 Canons on the first eight notes of the Goldberg ground G maj. 6V V/2: 119 after ; /11 → BWV 1077; /13 → 1076; in BN Paris Ms. 17669, Bl. 18v
[17][34][35][36][37][38] 		01273
13. Musical Offering, Art of the Fugue (see also: List of late contrapuntal works by Johann Sebastian Bach) Up ↑
1079 13. 1747-07-07 Musical Offering Kb Fl 2Vl Bc 312 VIII/1: 46 [39] 01265
1080.1 13. 1742–1749 The Art of Fugue (autograph) Hc (?) 251 VIII/2.1 → BWV 1080.2 01266
1080.2 c. 1747–1748 The Art of Fugue (print version) 47 VIII/2.2 after BWV 1080.1[40] 11581

Canons (BWV 1072–1078)[]

See also: List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach § BWV Chapter 12
  • BWV 1072 – Canon trias harmonica a 8
  • BWV 1073 – Canon a 4 perpetuus
  • BWV 1074 – Canon a 4
  • BWV 1075 – Canon a 2 perpetuus
  • BWV 1076 – Canon triplex a 6
  • BWV 1077 – Canone doppio sopr'il soggetto
  • BWV 1078 – Canon super fa mi a 7 post tempus musicum
  • Later additions to the BWV catalogue:
    • BWV 1086 – Canon concordia discors
    • BWV 1087 – 14 canons on the First Eight Notes of Goldberg Variations Ground (discovered 1974)

Late contrapuntal works (BWV 1079–1080)[]

See also: List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach § BWV Chapter 13
  • BWV 1079 – The Musical Offering (Musikalisches Opfer)
  • BWV 1080 – The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge)

Doubtful fugues[]

  • BWV 131a – Fugue in G minor, BWV 131a for organ. Doubtful arrangement of a choral fugue from BWV 131
  • BWV 1026 – Fugue in G minor for violin and harpsichord. Once considered spurious, current thinking[by whom?] is that this is an early work by Bach.[41]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Novello published: J. S. Bach: Prelude, Trio and Fugue in B Flat. Walter Emery contributed an erudite and extensive editorial note highlighting two key issues: Is the work really by Bach as the title claims? And why, on the original manuscript, now in the British Museum catalogued as RCM 814, did Benjamin Cooke seek to attribute it to his predecessor John Robinson, organist of Westminster Abbey up to 1762? Organists immediately recognise it is a version of the Prelude and Fugue in C (BWV 545). Cellists soon identify the central Trio as being almost identical with the Finale of the G minor Gamba Sonata (BWV 1029). In addition there is an interpolated 14 bar Adagio and a 5 bar Tutti just before the Fugue which are otherwise unknown. Walter Emery states "There are doubts about the authenticity of the scheme as a whole. ... If entirely authentic it represents a structural experiment unique among his organ works." The composition was unknown to Wolfgang Schmieder when he compiled his Index in 1950 so at the time of publication it had no BWV number. Bärenreiter, when preparing their complete edition of the organ works in 2009, for which they claim "all sources have been extensively researched", included it in Volume 11 as BWV 545b. The second question is: Why did Dr Cooke make a copy of the work and claim it was by John Robinson? At the end of the Fugue, Cooke wrote: "By the late Mr. John Robinson Organist Predecessor to B.C." A faint, anonymous pencilled note follows saying: "It is curious that Dr Cooke should not have known this fine fugue was the composition of Sebastian Bach, not John Robinson". Cooke had been associated with Robinson for twenty years and would have known he was no composer. Walter Emery posits every possibility including the slim one that Cooke had a hope of showing posterity his predecessor was a composer. To summarise, the reader must choose between two possibilities:
    1. That the Benjamin Cooke copy is an entirely genuine Bach composition.
    2. That someone came upon the Prelude and Fugue in C for organ, and the Trio in some form or other, decided to put them together, transposed the prelude and fugue and added the Adagio and Tutti. There would be a need for sufficient technique to play the demanding Trio; also the Westminster Abbey organ had no pedals until 1778. Walter Emery posited that the question of transposition is probably the key to the Cooke text, and must be discussed in detail. ... A copy of the music is available from the 'print on demand' service offered by Chester Music / Novello & Co at Musicroom.com. One of Walter Emery's expressed aims was "to dispel doubts by putting the work in general circulation so that it can be freely discussed by experts." The first performance was given in Canada in 1958 by Hugh McLean (former Organ Scholar to Boris Ord at King's); public performances since then have been rare.
  2. ^ Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, .../Prefaces, .../Thematic Catalogue: documentation and facsimiles at the International Music Score Library Project
  3. ^ Neue Bach-Ausgabe: documentation at the International Music Score Library Project
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Schulze, Dok III
  5. ^ Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg. Abhandlung von der Fuge Vol. 2. Berlin (1754), TAB XXXVII
  6. ^ Herz BQA
  7. ^ Neumann/Schulze, Dok I, Nr. 147
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Schulze. "Johann Sebastian Bachs Kanonwidmungen" in BJ 1967, pp. 82ff
  9. ^ Spitta I: 386
  10. ^ Wolff, Mf 1973: 217ff
  11. ^ Georg Philipp Telemann. Der getreue Music-Meister. Hamburg (1728), p. 68
  12. ^ Johann Mattheson. Der vollkommene Capellmeister. Hamburg (1739), p. 412
  13. ^ Lorenz Christoph Mizler. Neu eröffnete musikalische Bibliothek Vol. III. Leipzig (1747), p. 482ff
  14. ^ Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg. Abhandlung von der Fuge nach den Grundsätzen und Exemplen der besten deutschen und ausländischen Meister entworfen ... Vol. 2. Berlin (1754), TAB XXXIII, Fig. 2–3
  15. ^ Neumann/Schulze, Dok I, Nr. 158; Dok II, Nr. 325, 564
  16. ^ Spitta II: p. 478 / 798
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Kobayashi Chr
  18. ^ Johann Sebastian Bach. Canon triplex à 6 Voc:. Leipzig (1747)
  19. ^ C. L. Hilgenfeldt. Johann Sebastian Bach's Leben, Wirken und Werke: ein Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts. Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister (1850), p. 212
  20. ^ Clement
  21. ^ Neumann/Schulze, Dok II, Nr. 559
  22. ^ Smend. Johann Sebastian Bach bei seinem Namen gerufen: Eine Noteninschrift und ihre Deutung. Kassel (1950). Reprint in: Smend Bach-St: 176ff
  23. ^ Nowak. "Ein Bach-Fund" in Fontes artis musicae (1966), pp. 95ff
  24. ^ Spitta II, p. 506 / p. 747
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Wolff Stile antico
  26. ^ Dadelsen TBSt 4/5
  27. ^ Neumann/Schulze, Dok I, Nr. 174
  28. ^ Neumann/Schulze, Dok I, Nr. 177
  29. ^ Spitta Vol. II, pp. 717ff / Anh. p. 19
  30. ^ NBA VIII/1 Krit. Bericht: 36f
  31. ^ Neumann/Schulze, Dok II, Nr. 602, 603
  32. ^ Reich. "Johann Sebastian Bach und Johann Gottfried Müthel – zwei unbekannte Kanons" in Mf 1960, pp. 449f
  33. ^ Stam, Mf 1968: 317ff, bes. 319
  34. ^ BN Paris Ms. 17669, Bl. 18v at gallica.bnf.fr
  35. ^ Alain. "Un supplément inédit aux Variations Goldberg de J. S. Bach" in Revue de Musicologie (1975), pp. 244ff
  36. ^ Gárdonyi. "Zu einigen Kanons von J. S. Bach" in Studia Musicologica: Academiae Seientiarum Hungaricae Vol. 28 (1986), pp. 321–324
  37. ^ Kennyon. "A newly discovered Group of Canons by Bach" in MT (1976), pp. 391ff
  38. ^ Wolff. "Bach's Handexemplar of the Goldberg Variations" in JAMS (1976), pp. 224ff
  39. ^ Johann Sebastian Bach. Musicalisches Opfer. Leipzig, 7 July 1747.
  40. ^ Johann Sebastian Bach. Die Kunst der Fuge, edited by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Leipzig, c. 1751.
  41. ^ It is published as a Bach piece by Baerenreiter.
Retrieved from ""